Lithium
by Krazy Ky-Sta Hatter
Summary: When the Doctor disappears, Martha stumbles upon someone who can help her find him. His past regeneration. But when they do find him, only one person can help him. And they have no idea where she is. Can they find Rose Tyler before the Doctor is killed? Rose / 10, Martha, 5th Doctor, Jack.
1. Time Lord Missing

_**Hey everyone! Yet another story to add to the ever growing list. This one, however, is not my own original idea. I read a fic on Teaspoon called 'Call me Home, Stranger Boy'. It can be found here: **_www $ whofic $ ?sid=42375&chapter=1 - (just add '.' isnaead of ' $ ').

_**It's a pretty good idea, but it bothers me a little because rather than focusing on the point of trying to get Rose back, it seems that the entire point of the story is to bash on Martha. I'm not the biggest Martha far, but I really don't like character bashing. Also, it throws Rose WAY out of proportion. She's my favourite character, and she IS really great… but she DOES have flaws too.**_

_**I'm keeping certain parts of this the same, but I'm cutting some characters and adding in more of my own.**_

_**This first part is set on Gallifrey with the fifth Doctor. The council member's are the same ones as in 'The Five Doctors'. And since they think he's important enough to rescue in that, I reckon they think he'd be important enough to rescue here as well.**_

_**I don't usually add lyrics or quotes to my stories either, but I'm a huge fan of Evanescence and parts of the song fitted so well. Plus they have he story and the song have the same name.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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**Time Lord Missing**

.

.

_Lithium, don't want to lock me up inside.  
Lithium, don't want to forget how it feels without...  
Lithium, I want to stay in love with my sorrow.  
Oh, but God, I want to let it go.  
_

.oO*Oo.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS into the Gallifreyan council chambers. It had been a very long time since he had last been here. But the second he had received the urgent call, he had dropped Tegan, Nyssa and Adric of at a resort. He would pop back only a second later. As far as they were concerned, he would only be gone for a minute while he 'parked the TARDIS in a better spot'.

"Doctor," Lord President Borusa greeted him.

"My Lord President. Chancellor Flavia. Castellan," he greeted the three members of the High Council in turn.

"We fear we have a grave matter to discuss," Borusa informed him. "Something that involves you. We have received a telepathic cry for help. It is a very unusual cry, because it is from _very_ far away. It is from a time that our knowledge does not extend to. As we search through the timelines for him, we cannot see anything at all."

"I'm not particularly seeing where I come into all of this," the Doctor said politely as he could.

"We have only very limited knowledge of this call," Flavia said. "We have managed to roughly trace its origin. But one thing was very clear about it. It had a very clear mind signature. It was from you."

"Okay, so sometime in the distant future I'm going to need help. Future. I have a future. That's nice to know."

"Yes, but it appears that you may not have one for much longer," Borusa added. "Whatever has happened to you in the future must be very terrible if we were able to get your call for help all the way back here. We believe that the only person who is able to help you… is you."

"Well, I suppose that is correct, in a very strange and twisted way."

"You are very… out of check with your emotions, Doctor," the Castellan told him carefully. He knew those were not the words that they would use, were he not here. "From what we could hear of him, this regeneration is also run by his emotions, if not more so than you. We believe that you may be able to help him somewhat more than anyone else."

"I see. So my future is at stake… And why is it that you care so much about this?"

"Because, if there is one thing we know… the universe needs you Doctor. It always will," Borusa told him. There was something slightly smarmy about his voice that the Doctor did not like. But he did not argue. He had been ordered by the High Council to go help his future self. Last time he had disobeyed their orders, he ensured the existence of the Daleks.

"And where can I find this future me?"

"As far as we can tell," Flavia said. "He is on a planet called Crellion."

**?...DW…?**

"No, honestly!" the Doctor said. "I'm sure we're nearly there."

"You said that ten minutes ago, Doctor," Martha told him. She would have added a smile to that, but she was tired, and this place did not seem all that friendly. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Yes!" he said fervently. "Well… we're on the right planet… Right town even. We're just… in the slums."

"Yay, we're in the slums again," she said sarcastically. Okay, she just wasn't in a very good mood today.

"Rassilon, I swear Rose and I didn't have this much trouble last time."

"Of course not," she muttered. Way to put her in a worse mood. She didn't mean to, but every mention of Rose made her feel bitter. Why was he so caught up on a woman who left him? Why couldn't he just see that it was her there?

She knew that he wanted her more than anything. Once or twice he had called her Rose. And there were times that he would be talking away very animatedly. It would be the happiest she'd see him. Then he would look up at her, and stop. The look in his eyes made her heart break. It was as if he were shocked to see her there. Disappointed. She knew that it was in those moments that he forgot.

"It was quite brilliant. We were walking through the market and Rose saw this…" He suddenly closed his mouth as he seemed to realise what he was saying. He didn't want to forget her. He didn't want to stop talking about her. And he would not let her become another Sarah Jane. A companion he had loved dearly, bid farewell and never really thought of again. But right now, it was just too painful to remember.

And now that he had started, it was hard to stop.

.

Martha barely noticed when the Doctor stopped. He had been quiet for a while now. She looked back to see him peering off into one of the alleys. He had a strange look on his face. One of pain and confusion and wonder.

"Wait!" he suddenly called out. He didn't even look at Martha, or call out to her. He just sprinted off into the alley.

"Doctor?" Martha called, slightly confused. Then she followed after him. "Doctor!" But he didn't listen to her. He just kept running as if he were chasing after something he desperately wanted. She hadn't seen what he had been chasing after.

She attempted to follow him through the maze of alleyways. She turned when she saw the end his coat swish around the next alley… only to come to a dead end. No, but he _had_ come here. She was sure of it.

Exhausted from the chase, she leant down on her knees to catch her breath. She gasped, her breath ripping violently through her throat. She looked frantically around the alley, but there was no sight of him. "Doctor?" she tried. But there was no answer. Where the hell had he gone?

There were no exits from the alley, not even a door to one of the side buildings. There were no grates or anything else on the ground. And the walls were much too high to climb or scale, even if he _did_ have something in those 'bigger on the inside' pockets.

He had just disappeared.

She couldn't find him. And there was no way in hell that she was going to get even more lost. So, thoroughly annoyed, she headed back towards the TARDIS. She held her jacket closer around herself as a cold, dirty fog descended upon her. Great, just what she needed. Because it wasn't as if they weren't already lost to begin with.

She jumped when a scream could be heard in the distance. Damn him, brining her to the slums. 'Oh, he had Rose had such a great time here'… To make matters worse, it was quickly getting dark.

She had tripped over onto the muddy at least five times before she made it back to the TARDIS. She was sure that she was covered in bruises. And if the Doctor was still alive, she was going to kill him when she found him… Okay, maybe she wouldn't, but it was a good thought to entertain.

Relief flooded her when the shape of the TARDIS loomed before her. But suddenly she froze when she saw a figure stalking around it. She grabbed the bag from off her arm and pulled out the thing the Doctor had bought earlier that day.

"Stay where you are," she said, holding whatever it was up like a gun. "I'm warning you, I'm armed."

"Is that correct?" said an amused voice. "Because it appears that you're holding a multi-particle stabilizer. Most commonly used for building dimension filters."

"Oh…" Martha said, trying to hide the shaking of her voice. "Well, it was worth a try."

The man in front of her chuckled. He didn't _look_ all too threatening. He had nice blonde hair and blue eyes that twinkled with mirth. And his smile was quite charming. He appeared to be wearing what looked like an olden day cricket outfit and a cream coat, trimmed with red. Pinned to his lapel was a… stick of celery…

"Do you know the owner of this ship?" he asked her.

"…Yes," she replied hesitantly.

"I'm afraid I'm looking for him. He seems to be in danger, do you know where I would find him?"

"No," she told him. "He just ran off about an hour ago. I lost him. Who the hell are you anyway?"

"Has he told you about regeneration?" the man answered a question with a question.

"He - he mentioned it once. Just the word and something about dying… I was to preoccupied trying to save his life."

"Ah, well, you must have done it," the man grinned. "Because otherwise you would know what I was talking about. When a Time Lord is dying. He can regenerate. He changes every cell in his body so that he can stay alive. But it changes his appearance and his personality. To put it simply, my dear, I am the Doctor."

"You're kidding," Martha said disbelievingly.

"Not at all. From the few things that I have been able to figure out since I got here, this is a few hundred years in my future. I am currently in my fifth incarnation. The Doctor you know appears to be in his tenth." Martha balked hearing that the Doctor was hundreds of years old, but quickly tried to compose herself. He could be lying.

"How do I know you're really the Doctor?" she said cautiously.

"My TARDIS is only a short way over there," he pointed to another box like silhouette through the fog. "I can show you if you like."

"No… No, it's okay. I just want to find my friend."

"Well, that's why I'm here," he said happily. "Is there any chance you would help me?"

"Absolutely."

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Martha. Martha Jones."

"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones."

**?...DW…?**

Martha, with much difficulty, managed to make it back to the point that the Doctor had run off. The younger Doctor had asked her to take him to there. She wouldn't have been able to find it if it weren't for the smell. Everywhere else in this place smelled terrible. But when she reached this place, she noticed something that she _had _before, only last time she had not paid attention.

Cinnamon. The air around here smelled like cinnamon. And she was certain that it had gotten stronger the closer she had gotten to the alley.

"It was here," she said adamantly. He ran off that way." She pointed down the side street. "That smell - that cinnamon - that was really strong where he disappeared."

"Oh, this isn't good," the Doctor beside her said.

"Why not?" Martha asked him.

"Because I know that smell. It's not cinnamon," he informed her. "Very close, but it's not cinnamon. Also, I can feel something that you cannot… It's a psychic pull."

"Psychic pull?" she said in confusion as they headed off in the direction her Doctor had run.

"Time Lords are telepathic," he said. "A psychic pull is an energy that reaches out to telepathic creatures. Entices them in. This one seems to be attuned to negative energy… Oh dear, don't tell me I'm a horrible depressive in this incarnation."

"No! No," Martha shook her head, almost laughing at the absurdity of it. "He's not depressive. I mean, he has his moments, considering… But he's near manic!"

"Mmm," the fifth Doctor hummed unhappily. "If we're going where I think we're going, that may not be a good thing."

They continued on in silence for a while. Weaving their way through the side streets as the smell of cinnamon and the feeling of the psychic pull grew stronger. And finally they turned into the dead end.

"It was here," Martha said. "I was sure of it. I saw his coat as he ran around the corner, then just… nothing. He was gone. But there's nowhere for him to go!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," the Doctor said, inhaling deeply. He kept sniffing, till eventually he came to one of the many arch shaped patterns on the walls. "Ah, very clever," he smiled. "It's a secret door. They've disgusted it with a chameleon circuit!"

"A what?" Martha asked in confusion. There was nothing there, no cracks, no crevices, not secret leaver. How the hell could it be a secret door?

"It a device that makes things blend in with its surroundings. The TARDIS has one, but it broke during a stay to Earth in the 1950's. I've been meaning to fix it… evidently I still am. But see this one? It's disused to match the pattern of the brick. If I can just find the handle…"

He felt around on the wall for a moment, fingering between the bricks. Then his fingers curled around a hidden hollow in one of the brick and he pulled. The brick wall swung out as if it were nothing but wood… Looking at the other side of the door, she found that it _was_ just wood.

As the door opened she was hit by an overwhelming wave of the cinnamon scent and she felt slightly dizzy.

"Try not to let the drugs affect you," the Doctor warned as he stepped inside.

"Hang on, _drugs?_" Martha panicked as she chased in after him. They were making their way down a dark flight of stairs, a red velvet curtain at the end. The Doctor paused on the step and looked back up at her.

"The cinnamon smell, I told you it wasn't cinnamon," he said gravely. "It's a chemical compound. Years ago a race of telepathic parasites found a way to manipulate it. It's based off lithium, but it's very potent and the drug itself won't warm the user. It the parasite that does that. It drains the user's energy as it gives it off. The psychic pull attracts the victim, the drug makes them see and believe what they want."

"…This is an opium den?" she realised. The Doctor nodded, a look of worry on his face. "But lithium is not an opium!"

"Maybe not in your time. But in the future when it is developed further…"

"And lithium is generally used for mania or depression… which the Doctor possibly has both," she sighed.

"When counteracted, depression can give off an alarming mount of emotions. It's the perfect feast for the parasites… I warn you, this may be disturbing. And remember, try not to let the drugs affect you. If you feel drawn to anything, stay away from it."

Martha nodded and they headed down the stairs. The Doctor pushed the curtain aside. The smell of cinnamon was very strong now, and mixed with another smell. The smell of sex and sweat.

It looked like she had stepped into a freaking _brothel!_


	2. Finding the Lost

**Finding the Lost**

.

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_Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone.  
Couldn't hide the emptiness, you let it show.  
Never wanted it to be so cold.  
Just didn't drink enough to say you love me._

_I can't hold on to me,_  
_Wonder what's wrong with me._

.oO*Oo.

"Bloody hell, _this_ is an opium den?" Martha cried.

"Unfortunately," the Doctor replied.

"What, so they just decide that the best way to make you 'happy' is to… 'set you up' with some random stranger?"

"Not at all," he replied, keeping his eyes somewhere near the ceiling. "It focuses on the thing that you miss the most. Something causing you great sorrow, which if you had back would make you unbelievably happy. Of all the couples in this room, only one of them is real. The other is psychic flesh."

"_Something_?" she questioned.

"Someone," he amended. "Most usually a lover, or someone that you love, whether they love you in return or not. Sometimes you are reunited with someone you lost, or you are given the chance with someone who never loved you back."

"And they just fall for it?" she whispered in disbelief.

"It's the drug. It confuses them enough that they do not realise that this could not be the person they love. It draws them in and they can think of nothing but that person. Then the parasite feeds of the intense joy. There's a chance that someone with higher functioning brain capabilities might know the difference, but they will still be sucked in, no matter how they feel."

"Oh…" she said quietly. She was a little speechless… This was… she didn't have the words to describe this. She wasn't sure whether - in a strange way - it was nice, giving them back what they had lost, or completely cruel. Looking down to see the body of a dead creature that was yet to be taken away, she decided on cruel.

Suddenly it felt like a stone had been dropped in her stomach as she realised something. She was about to see the Doctor _with_ another woman. It wasn't like he was ever hers… but she was starting to fall in love with him, and it would still hurt.

"Remember," the Doctor said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Don't let the drugs affect you. If you see someone that you've lost, look away. _Don't_ go to them." Martha nodded. "Now, what do I look like in this incarnation?"

"Erm, well, you're tall and skinny," she told him. "Sharp features. Big, spiky brown hair. Brown eyes. Manic grin. And usually wear a brown or blue pinstripe suit with Converse shoes. He's wearing blue today."

"Alright. I'll look in this direction, you look in that one."

Martha nodded and they split up. She only took quick glances at the faces around her as she carefully stepped around the mass of writhing bodies. Everywhere throughout the dark room were obscene sights. Couples tumbled about in dark corners and on the tables and the ground. Around the room were curtained off areas. She was followed by the constant sounds of moans and whimpers and whispered words of love.

There were couples of all kinds here. Men and women, men and men, women and women, a man and… whatever the hell _that_ was. Some of the stuff they were doing she didn't even know was _possible_!

As much as she really didn't want to look, she kept an eye out for a wild mop of brown hair. She was just starting to get frustrated when she saw him. There he sat at the back of the room. He had taken off his shirts and shoes, so he was wearing nothing but his trousers. His eyes were so dark she could barely see the brown. And as he looked at her, she found a shiver run down her spine.

He smiled at her and she knew she had to go to him. She couldn't' let him be trapped here. He was _hers_. Not theirs. But then, as she started towards him, something stopped her.

"Martha!" the other Doctor shouted. "I think I've found him!" No, he couldn't have. The Doctor was right in front of her. It must just be someone who looked like the description she gave him. "Do you know about anyone called Rose?"

Suddenly her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. Without another look at the Doctor before her, she turned and ran to where the voice had come from. And sure enough, in one of one of the curtained off rooms to the side, she found the Doctor in cream. And there, on the big pile of cushions that served as a sort of bed, was her Doctor and a woman.

The Doctor wasn't quite as bad as the one she had seen before (which she realised, sickeningly, was just the drugs affecting her). He had taken off his shoes and his jacket. His shirt had a button or two undone, was untucked, and the sleeves were pushed up to his elbows. But it was the look in his eyes that was most different.

He was looking at the 'woman' before him in pure wonder and happiness and love… but there was something behind that. A sadness, a deep lingering sadness, like he knew deep down that this was just an illusion. He was caressing her face, taking in the detail as if he thought that he could never truly imprint it to his memory, even if he stared at her for eternity.

She blinked when she saw the woman. She barely looked to be out of her teens. She couldn't be more than twenty. She had unnaturally blonde hair with her light brown, natural roots starting to show. Cheeky hazel eyes stared at him adoringly… they were rimmed in just a little too much eyeliner in her opinion.

She wasn't what she had expected at all. She seemed… ordinary. Sure, she was pretty, but she was just a girl.

"Rose," he whispered to her.

"My Doctor," she replied with a strong London accent. She leant in and kissed him softly. He clung to her desperately as he kissed her back and Martha felt her stomach twist.

She could remember the kiss he had given her. She had thought it was brilliant, that though he said otherwise, it had meant something. No one could kiss quite like that and not have some sort of meaning behind it. What she realised now, was that, perhaps, he had been thinking of Rose in that moment. Because, not matter how nice it was, it paled in comparison to everything that was being shared through this kiss. Even watching, she could tell he was pouring all his love and his pain and desperation into that kiss.

And it made her sick.

Oh, she really didn't want to be a jealous cow. But she had feelings for him, and to watch this…

"You're here," the drugged Doctor whispered reverently to 'Rose'. "I've got you back. I've finally got you back."

"They keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will," she grinned at him.

"Never ever," he smiled sadly.

"I love you," she chocked.

The Doctor grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her desperately as soon as she said that. "Rose, I…" a tear leaked from his eye and it seemed he wasn't able to say it. Instead he just pulled her towards him again.

"Oh," the other Doctor said in surprise. Love… he had actually fallen in love in the future. And she loved him in return. The conversation was proof of that. "These conversations actually happened," he explained aloud. "Her side at least. The illusion isn't foolproof, hence why he's crying. A part of him knows it isn't real. So to maintain the illusion, they draw on his memories. Everything she says is something he had heard her say before."

Martha swallowed the lump in her throat. "Let's get him out of here," she said shakily.

"We can't," the other Doctor said, his voice full of regret. "He's too deep. Too strong. His best chance is to get him away from here. But if we try to take him away from her, he will not be able to tell us as friend from foe and is likely to kill us so he can stay with her. And even if we could knock him unconscious and take him with us, the effects of the drug will still be lingering with him. The mental pain of her not being with him could be strong enough to kill him, or cause a serious mental break at least. And I don't mean the kind you can recover from."

"Then what can we do?" she worried.

"The only one who can help him is that girl there," he pointed to girl in the Doctor's arms. "Well, when I say her, I mean the real one. If she can get him out of here, and still be here until the drugs get out of his system, he should be fine."

The Doctor on the bed groaned softly… sadly. "Rose Tyler, what have you done to me," he asked. It was like he didn't know anyone else was in the room. They were just invisible. Tyler. So that was her name. Rose Tyler.

The other Doctor grabbed her hand and dragged her away before they could hear 'Rose's' answer.

**?...DW…?**

Martha looked around in shock at the interior of the TARDIS. It was so white and clean and bare. It was a little smaller than what she was used to, but the lack of anything there made it seem bigger than it really was. It seemed almost emotionless and clinical.

This was the other Doctor's TARDIS. The man in question was typing away furiously by the monitor. She looked over to see what he was doing and blinked in surprise.

"It's in English!" she said.

"Yes," he replied absentmindedly.

"But the monitor is never in English. It's always in Gallifreyan. I didn't think it _could_ do English!"

The Doctor grinned for a moment. "Do you get sentimental in your old age, Girl?" he said patting the small time rotor. "I can't find anything. There are far too many Rose Tyler's in Time and Space. Do you know anything else about her?"

"Erm… well, she has a London accent… so she should be from there at one point or another, right? And I don't think she'd been gone long after he started travelling with me… so, 2006?"

The Doctor typed that in, refining his search to 'Rose Tyler, London, 2006'. He got an instant result… his face fell.

"Oh…" he said forlornly.

"What?" Martha replied. She looked at the screen and drew in a sharp breath.

There, at the top of the page it read 'The Battle of Canary Warf Memorial'. She could see her cousin's name towards the bottom of the page under 'U'. But there, about mid way up with about seven other Tyler's was 'Tyler, Rose'.

"No, but… she can't…" she stuttered in horror. "She's not dead. She can't be. He never talks about her like she's dead. He said she's with her family…" Suddenly she froze as another memory struck her. That time just before they stepped onto New Earth when he had pretended that he could go back to his planet whenever he wanted.

She remembered the look on his face when he had told her that he had been in the battle. He had seemed so sad…

Could he really have been doing that? Was he really pretending that somewhere out there, Rose was still alive so that it didn't hurt so much? The thought that he was broke her heart a little for him. No wonder he couldn't let her go. She hadn't left. He had lost her.

"Well, perhaps we should do some digging then," the Doctor said. "What was this Canary Warf?"

"It was a government building. My cousin worked there. But she always said that she worked for something called… Torchwood."

"Oh, blimey, not that lot," he grumbled.

"You've heard of them?"

"Not much, but they interfere with aliens far too much. I think that by your time, it's all but gone. Only one sector left. Later on it shifts around, eventually dropping the name and becoming something known as the Time Agency. But Torchwood as it is now… Let's go talk to them, shall we?"

He began pressing buttons and soon the familiar graunch of the engines could be heard. But Martha was surprised to find that the ride was very smooth… she didn't even wobble!

"We're here?" she asked. It was a little had to tell without the big crash to signal their landing.

"Yes, we are." He stepped from the TARDIS out into the sun filled plas of…

"Cardiff," she said in disgust and disbelief.

"I know," he rolled his eyes. "But it appears that important things happen sometime in Cardiff. One of which, it becomes the last remaining Torchwood base."

.

"Doctor!" They turned at the sound of the shout. A rather handsome looking man with dark hair and a World War II coat and backpack was running full pelt towards the TARDIS. Seeing them, he realised that they might know him. "Have you seen a man?" he panted. He held up his hand to indicate a height. "This tall. Short dark hair. Blue eyes. Leather jacket. Fairly large nose and even bigger ears. Owns this box. Goes by the Doctor."

The Doctor shuddered as he felt it. Something was wrong about this man… he was a fixed point in time. How was that even possible?

"No," Martha replied, "But I've seen two… er, one man who goes by the Doctor. I travel with one in the, er… box, and just met this one."

The man did a double take, focusing on the Doctor. "You're the Doctor?" he said in disbelief.

"The one and only… Well, at this point in time anyway. Clearly with a face you're not used to. Did you know me before I regenerated?" The man just looked at him in bewilderment.

"He's a past version of the Doctor," Martha explained.

"Ah, I see… I thought regeneration was just a myth!"

"Clearly not, as you can see," the Doctor held his arms out in example. "May I ask, what is wrong with you?"

"What?" Martha said in confusion. The man's face just darkened.

"I was hoping you would tell me," he growled. "Ever since the last time I saw you, since you_ abandoned_ me alone on a dead satellite, it seems that I can't _die_."

"No, you're a fixed point in time…" the Doctor mused. "Do you know how it happened?"

"Once again, was hoping you can tell me."

"Well, you'll have to ask the Doctor from your timeline once we've saved him."

"What's he gotten himself into this time?" he laughed. But he fell short when he realised that it must be serious if a past version of him was crossing his own timeline to help him. Also the looks on their faces was not a good one.

"He's trapped in a psychic opium den," the Doctor told him. The man paled. He clearly wasn't from this time if he knew what that was. "We've come here looking for Torchwood. They might have more information on the only person who can get him out of there."

"Well, you've come to the right guy," he tried to grin. "Captain Jack Harkness, head of Torchwood." The smile fell off his face. "But I think I know who you're looking for, and I can't help. She's dead."

Martha noticed the bitterness in his voice and felt sorry for the man. "You knew Rose?" she asked.

Jack nodded. "She was my best friend. I may have been in love with her a little, as a sister, mind you. The Doctor made it very clear I had to keep my hands off the blonde. I was working here at the time of the Battle… saw her name on the list of the dead two days later. He may not admit it, but I know he loved her. You can't spend five minutes with those two and not know it. Without her, there's no other way to get him out."

"Well then, we'll just have to find her, wont we?" the Doctor said. "We could go back in time, right before the battle, find a time when he's not with her and get her to come with us… at least that way if she does remember - I'd have to wipe her memory - it wouldn't be long till…"

Jack gulped and had to hold back tears. "Yeah," he rasped. "She was a good girl. She doesn't need to know that's coming… We have tapes. CCTV footage of what happened. I've never bought myself to watch it. I couldn't… but the recordings are damaged anyway. Too much interference."

"Interference?" the Doctor's head perked up.

"Yeah. Tosh watched through some of it. She mentioned the Doctor and Rose, someone called Pete. Oh, and Torchwood One's director, Yvonne Hartman. She was only really able to pick up a few words, not many. But the important ones seemed to be Daleks - I remember them all too well - Cybermen, breach, void, dimension and jump."

"Jack, there may be hope."

.

.

.

* * *

_**Whoo! Jack's here. Love Jack. It never really seems like much of a story without him. I've always imagined that Torchwood Three would have video footage of the battle. I think that Jack would have intended to watch it, but wouldn't have been able to do it. Not when he knew that Rose would die. Also it would be very scrambled from the breach and the jumps.**_

_**I'm trying to find the right balance for Martha. I want to keep her in character, but I don't want to over do her on the horrid cow part. She does have compassion. And even if she does have feelings for him, I don't think she could actually bring herself to dislike Rose, especially not after this.**_

_**Looking to be fairly short at the moment. But it's all good. I know how to get the story in and it will get one story off my chest so I can get on with the rest.**_

_**Hope you liked!**_


	3. Sending her Home

_**Hi! Here's the next chapter. Getting closer to Rose. And Martha finally realises why she never had a chance.**_

_**Sorry, not saying much right now… I have a massive headache, and my friend is distracting me with Soul Eater.**_

_**We had a Doctor Who party last night. It was awesome. I went as 'Boom Town' Rose / Bad Wolf. It was fun.**_

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**Sending her Home**

_Lithium, don't want to lock me up inside.  
Lithium, don't want to forget how it feels without...  
Lithium, I want to stay in love with my sorrow._

_Don't want to let it lay me down this time._  
_Drown my will to fly._  
_Here in the darkness I know myself._  
_Can't break free until I let it go._  
_Let me go._

.oO*Oo.

Jack led the strange Doctor and his new… future… whatever… companion into the Hub. The second the large cog rolled out of the way, he was bombarded by his team mates.

"Jack! What the hell was that?" Gwen said. "Where do you think you were going? And who the hell are they?"

"These are some old friends of mine… kind of. It's complicated," he said. "This is a past version of my friend who is trying to save his present self. And this is his present-self's friend. But the point is that I've been looking for the other version of him for a very long time. They need my help to save him. Tosh, we're going to need to watch the Canary Warf footage."

"But it's too damaged," she said. "I've already told you everything I could."

"He can fix it."

"…And what about Rose?"

Jack sighed deeply. "I'm just going to have to deal with it," he said. "It's about time I knew what happened."

"What's this?" Gwen asked.

"Does this have something to do with that depressive week you had last year?" Owen said.

"Owen!" Tosh warned him. "It's a friend of his… she died in the battle."

"Oh, you and your bloody 'friends'."

"Owen!"

"I would watch your mouth, Owen," Jack said. "I have my gun. Insult Rose one more time and I won't care that you can't come back. Besides… payback for shooting me." Owen said nothing more, choosing only to send a glare at Jack.

"I've set the footage up to be played in the meeting room," Tosh said quietly. Jack nodded and led his guests in with him. He stopped at the door when he saw that Gwen was tagging on at the back.

"And where do you think you're going?" he asked her.

"I want some answers," she said.

"Yeah, we all do," he shot back. Then he sighed. "Fine. But you stay quiet, okay?" Gwen nodded and he let them into the room. He saw that the video was all ready to play. The Doctor took out some sort of pencil like device that he only recognised as a sonic-screwdriver when the Time Lord started to use it on the computer.

"There, that should do it," the Doctor said, putting the sonic back in his pocket. "Alright, let's see if my theory is correct… And I hope to Rassilon it is."

Jack pressed play and a horribly white room showed up. In the shot were Rose, the Doctor, an older woman who looked a lot like Rose, an older man, a black guy and a blonde one. Jack pressed pause.

"Alright, that's Rose, the other lady's her mother, the black guy is her friend, Mickey… I think the bald guy is her dad, but… he died when she was a baby… And I don't know who anyone else is."

"Pinstripes there is the Doctor," Martha told him.

"Wow… not too bad, Doctor," he said appreciatively. The Doctor next to him looked at him oddly for a moment.

"51st century?"

"Yep."

"What is?" Gwen said.

"Me," he told her. "It's when I was born. Honestly, where did you think I got my vortex manipulator from?"

"Time Agent?" the Doctor asked him.

"Ex… Come on, let's watch." He pressed play again, and the figures on screen began to move.

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They watched as the Doctor raced around, explaining what he was going to do with an excited Rose following behind. But things got serious when she realised that they would be sucked into the void as well.

'_We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in_,' Rose said.

'_That's why you've gotta go_,' the Doctor told her. She just stared at him, not quite getting it. '_Back to Pete's world. - Hey, we should call it that, 'Pete's World'. - I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side_.'

'_And then you close it. For good?_' the baled man they assumed was Pete asked.

'_The breach itself is soaked in Void Stuff; in the end it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput._'

'_But you stay on THIS side...?_' Rose said.

'_But you'll get pulled in,_' Mickey protested.

'_That's why... I got these._' The Doctor ran and grabbed two big red things. Rose stayed still, looking somewhat like she'd been slapped in the face. '_I'll just have to hold on tight - I've been doing it all my life._'

'_I'm supposed to go,_' Rose said, her voice starting to tremble.

'_Yeah._'

'_To another world, and then it gets sealed off._'

'_Yeah._' It was obvious from his tone of voice that he liked it as much as her and didn't want to talk about it. Instead he just fiddled with the computers

'_Forever?_' Something about that word made her laugh incredulously. 'That's _not gonna happen._' The building shook and Pete went all business mode.

'_We haven't got time to argue, the plans works, we go in. You too. ALL of us.' He put something around Rose's mum's neck._

'_No, I'm not leaving him!_' Rose said angrily.

'_I'm not going without her_,' her mother said.

'_Oh, my God. We're GOING!_'

'_I've had twenty years without you, so button it. I'm not leaving her._' But Rose turned to her.

'_You've GOT to._'

'_Well, that's tough!_'

'_Mum... I've had a life with you for nineteen years. But then I met the Doctor and... all the things I've seen him do for me. For you. For all of us. For the whole... stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, Mum_.' They watched as the Doctor pulled something from his pocket - it looked like the thing Rose's mum was wearing - watching Rose all the while. He looked so sad. _'But not anymore. 'Cause now he's got me._' She took a step back and he placed the thing from his pocket around her neck. _'What are you-?_'

Pete quickly pressed his identical one, there was a bright flash and everyone but the Doctor disappeared. He just continued to stare sadly at the spot where Rose had stood.

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"What the hell was that?" Martha said.

"Dimension Jump," the Doctor told her. "They somehow have a device that can take you from one dimension to another… it would only be working because the walls of the universe are so thin. That will be why her father is alive. He's a parallel version."

"So, he just sent her away?!"

"It's not the first time he's done it," Jack said. "But Rose was stubborn. She wouldn't have just let that happen."

.

Indeed no sooner had he finished speaking, there was another bright flash and Rose was back where she stood.

'_I think this is the on switch..._' she said. The Doctor started and ran over her. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and stooped so he could look her right in the eyes.

'_Once the breach collapses, that's IT_,' he said, trying to get the importance across to her. '_You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!_'

Rose just looked at him calmly, but when she spoke, her voice trembled. '_I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never gonna leave you_.' The Doctor stared at her, utterly bewildered.

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"See," Jack said quietly. They continued to watch silently as the two of them went around getting ready, quickly falling back into their usual banter. From the sound of things, both the Daleks and the Cybermen were on their way.

They went over to a lever each, on either side of the wall and attached the clamps, the Doctor giving her quick instructions. Then they pushed their lever up and quickly held onto their clamp.

For a while it worked just fine. Daleks and Cybermen flew past them in torrents, but they stayed on their clamp. Then the lever by Rose sparked and slipped down. She tried to reach for it, and the Doctor warned her to keep holding on… he sounded so desperate. In the end, she had to let go of the clamp and push the lever up. Soon the pull became too strong for her… and she slipped.

She fell towards the Void, the Doctor screaming her name. Then, just at the last second, Pete appeared and caught her. There was barely a second for the Doctor to realise what happened before they jumped back to wherever Pete had come from.

A few minutes later the pull of the Void died down. There was nothing else being sucked into it and it folded in on itself… Rose didn't come back.

They watched as the Doctor walked up to the white wall at the back where the Void had been. He placed a hand on it and pressed against it, like if he tried hard enough he could go through… Nothing happened. Rose didn't return, and he couldn't get through.

Eventually, his hand fell from the wall, and he turned and walked away. Even from the video footage, one could see that his expression was one of a broken-hearted man.

The video ended.

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Everyone sat there in silence for a good while, then a smile spread across Jack's face and he jumped up with a whoop of joy.

"She's alive!" he cried.

"I still don't understand," the Doctor said. "If she's in a parallel universe, why doesn't he go to Gallifrey and ask for help?" Jack stopped his dancing and Martha looked up at the Doctor with wide eyes. Both had their mouths open as they struggled for something to say. This Doctor hadn't been through the Time War. He wasn't the last of his kind, yet.

"Let's… let's just say that he can't and leave it at that," Jack said.

"Alright then; luckily, I can. Jack, would you like to come with us? It would be best if, when we picked up Rose, she sees a face she recognises."

"Yeah, of course!" Jack said.

"Hold on," Gwen said. "So, you're trying to find that woman, so you can save that man, so you can find out what happened to you?"

"Pretty much," he said. "But they're my best friends. They did so much for me… I can't just leave them both to suffer."

"Then I hope you can do it. And come back fast, alright?" She got up and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks, Gwen. Tell the others I won't be long. I can be back five minutes ago." He shot a grin at Martha and the Doctor, who were the only ones who would get that.

"Alright then, let's go," the Doctor said. He took his hat out of his pocket, folded it out, put it on, and led his two future companions back to the TARDIS.

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Jack blinked as the TARDIS came to a smooth halt. He looked about in confusion. "Are we here?" he said.

The Doctor seemed to almost pout. "Why do you two keep asking that?"

"We're not used to the ride being this smooth," Martha said. She went to follow the Doctor as he stepped out of the TARDIS, but he stopped her just at the door.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you can't come out here," he said. "We're on Gallifrey. Humans aren't allowed on Gallifrey at this point in time. I won't be a moment. I just need to get a Dimension Filter." He gave them an apologetic smile, then stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Martha and Jack were left standing there quietly in the strange white TARDIS. There was nowhere to sit, no where to lean. It was strange and unfamiliar and seemed rather distant. It made the both of them long for the aqua, coral TARDIS that they had both travelled in.

"So…" Martha said. They both looked awkwardly about the unfamiliar TARDIS. "What's she like anyway? The Doctor mentions her… but he never really talks about her."

"Rose?" Jack said. "She was only nineteen when I met her, but it didn't seem like she'd changed much from the video. Sweet, funny, stubborn… she liked to tease. I don't know what she was like before she met the Doctor, but he made her a better, brighter person. And she made him happy. It was pretty obvious to everyone - except maybe them - that they were in love. Heck, apparently even a _Dalek_ saw it! I was in the process of a cunning plan to make them see it, when we all got split up."

"What happened then?"

"The three of us got transmatted into killer game shows in the future. I got put on some fashion show. Rose was on 'The Weakest Link'. Me and the Doctor broke in to get her out of there, but right then she lost the last round and was shot with a disintegrator beam. The Doctor was distraught… he was a different man back then, angry as hell. He was going to bring them down, one way or another. But then I found out that the disintegrator beam was actually a secondary transmat, taking people to a ship… a Dalek ship. They were using people to make more Daleks."

"I faced them when they did that," Martha said. "Killed the humans and turned them into shells to become Daleks that look like humans."

"Really?" Jack said, a little surprised. "That doesn't really sound like something they'd do… But this was different anyway. They were using human cells to make the creature in the case. They were still technically part human, so they hated themselves, they were insane. We got Rose away from them and set up to face them back at the Game Station. There were still a hundred or so people left on the bottom floor, but only a few came to help fight. They all died. Each and every one of them… they would have anyway. The Doctor figured out that the only way to get rid of the Daleks was with a Delta wave. Fries the brain cells. But there was no way to refine it; it would have killed everything, even the humans on Earth. 'Die as a human, or live as a Dalek', that's what he said. And I agreed with him. He sent Rose home with the TARDIS… tricked her, by my reckoning. That girl would never leave him, even if her life was in danger. You saw what he did at Canary Warf.  
I was the last line of defence before they reached the Doctor… And they shot me. I woke up to find that every single Dalek had been turned to dust, and the TARDIS was dematerializing right in front of me. I was mortal before then, but I haven't been able to die since. Maybe the Doctor abandoned me because of that."

"Maybe he just thought you were dead," Martha said.

"Yeah, you have no idea how long I've hoped it was that. But what with the way this Doctor is treating me…"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm good at reading people," Jack said, crossing his arms. "He really wants to get away from me. He said I was… wrong."

"He said 'fixed point in time'."

"Which to him is wrong." Jack stopped talking when the door opened and the Doctor stepped back in, carrying a machine apart. He tried to ignore the way the Time Lord stiffened around him.

"Right, I just need to attach this Dimension Filter and we can go," he said. He opened a panel under the console and set to work.

"Didn't you say something about a dimension filter back on Crellion?" Martha said.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. I said that the multi-particle stabiliser you were holding was used in them. Well, they can be used for other things, but more often that not, on Gallifrey they are used to make Dimension Filters. It helps get to parallel universes. Breaks a hole open and stitches it back up. And the multi-particle stabiliser keeps it running. Without one, it's like putting diesel into a petrol engine."

"So, the Doctor's been trying to make a Dimension Filter?"

"Wouldn't surprise me," Jack sighed. The Doctor hummed his agreement.

"Only, it would be much harder if he couldn't go to Gallifrey. They have a special way of charging it up. To get the same power, he'd have to drag it through the Time Vortex, completely exposed, for a few months."

Jack and Martha said nothing, just watched him work. Jack wasn't very surprised, but Martha was boggled by the fact that the entire time that she had been travelling with the Doctor, he had been trying to get back to Rose.

Finally the Doctor stood up, dusted his hands off, and closed the panel. "Right, then." He grinned. "Let's bring Rose home."


	4. Easier to Let Her Go

_**Hey! Sorry this took so long. I've actually been sitting on this one a while. I was waiting for my flat mate to edit it for me, but it's been well over a week, so I just decided to post.**_

_**I have a few days off this week, so I should get a good amount of writing done. It's half past 1 in the morning and I'm currently sitting with at least 20 documents open. I'm doing them bit by bit at the moment.**_

_**Also, Sierra Lyon and I have started a collaboration story. It's a Doctor Who / Avatar: Last Airbender crossover, called 'Toph and the Angels of Stone'… Even though it's equally about everyone. But it was inspired by a picture of Toph fighting off Weeping Angels. I've just finished the prologue for it, so it should be up in a few days. Keep an eye out for it!**_

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**Easier to Let Her Go**

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_Darling, I forgive you after all.  
Anything is better than to be alone.  
And in the end I guess I had to fall.  
Always find my place among the ashes. _

.oO*Oo.

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Jack looked up at the huge mansion that Rose called a house here. From what he could understand, her father had made it big here… where he was still alive. They had decided to send him, since he was someone that Rose actually knew. Martha would have just been uncomfortable, and the past Doctor would have freaked her out.

…Well, kind of. It would have freaked her out until he'd had time to explain that he hadn't regenerated _again_… just not _yet_. With Jack, they would just have to get through the reunion till he could tell her they could come back.

Slowly he walked up and rung the doorbell of the enormous house. So he was only mildly surprised when the door was answered by a maid.

"Hello there," he said seductively when she just stood there giving him an expectant look. "Captain Jack Harkness. And you are? …No, sorry. Is Rose home?"

"The dog or the daughter?" she said with a faint Spanish accent.

"What?!"

The maid sighed. "The Tylers have had a dog named Rose for the last seven years. Then last year their daughter, _Rose_, found them through a private detective. The blood tests came back positive and they apparently gave a daughter up before Mr Tyler's business took off, so… It's just a cover up for the Torchwood work if you ask me."

"I see…" Jack said. "…Is she home?"

"She'll be getting back from Torchwood in a few minutes. Why do need to see her?"

"I'm an old friend with some good news."

"I'll get Mrs Tyler. Just one moment."

Jack waited, bobbing on his feet as the maid went back inside. Thankfully it wasn't too long before she came back with Jackie Tyler bouncing a baby on her hip. Jack had only had the pleasure of meeting the elder Tyler woman once. It was a very good first meeting… until she found out the depth of his morals… Stupid 21st century morals.

Jackie blinked at him in surprise. "You," she said. "I know you! You're one of Rose's…"

"Nice to meet you again, Mrs Tyler," he grinned. "And might I say, you're looking as lovely as ever."

"Oh," she said with a slight air of distaste. "I know which one you are now."

"Well, I can't help it if I'm just that memorable, but-"

"Hang on," she interrupted. "You're from the other universe. What are you-? How did you…?"

"Well, it's a little bit complicated. But long story short, the Doctor is in trouble and Rose is the only one who can help him. We can get her back to the other universe… and... if she wants… after she can come back here…"

"Oh, don't be so daft, you plum!" Jackie laughed. "She spends every waking moment trying to find a way back to that silly alien! If she ends up back here, I'd slap him right back to Gallawheresit!"

Jack grinned. "So she's coming back?"

"As much as I don't want to lose her… Well, I realised soon after coming here that I would do anything to see her as happy as she was when she was with the Doctor. Unfortunately, I realised that a little too late. I… didn't want to come here without her. But when that thingy shut and she got stuck here… Oh, what am I doing? Come in, come in." She hurried him inside, letting the maid close the door, and showed him to one of the expensive looking couches in their lounge.

"Looks like you're doing much better off in this universe. Money, kid…"

"Oh, this is Tony. He's seven months old now. He's going to grow up to be just like his daddy… aren't you," she cooed at her son. "And, well, the money isn't too bad either." She gave him a wink. "It seems that not having to worry about Rose so much gave him more time to focus on his job and make it big. Now he owns both Vitex _and_ this universes Torchwood. But I'm telling you, if I ever get my hands on that ruddy Torchwood lot back on the other side of the Void…"

"No need to there, ma'am," Jack said, trying not to wince. "Torchwood One never rebuilt after the Battle of Canary Warf. Torchwood Two is missing. And after everything else fell through, I took Torchwood Three and reshaped it to help the Doctor and the citizens of Earth."

Jackie gave him the evil eye for a moment, measuring him up. "So you took over the institute that more or less ruined my little girl's life? …I wish I could fault you for that, but that's exactly what my husband did."

"And… and Rose works there now?"

"She's trying to find a way to get back. How did you do it?"

"Little help from the past."

"Is the Doctor here?"

"Short answer, yes. But it's not what Rose will expect, which is why I'm here."

"Has he…?"

"No, no… it's a past version, well before he met her. He doesn't want to come out in case he scares her into thinking he's regenerated."

"I see. That's probably a good idea. Rose is-"

"Mum!" Rose's voice called from by the door. It slammed shut and they could hear her dashing about in the hallway. "I got to go back. Torchwood just called. There was an interesting spike. They said it was similar to the spikes three years ago. Do you know what that _means_?"

"The Doctor's here," Jackie said.

"Could be," she said, her grinning face popping by the door for just a second. Just long enough for Jackie to see the brilliant smile that lit up her face, just like it used to every day. Unfortunately it wasn't long enough for Rose to see their visitor.

"No, really, sweetheart. The Doctor's here."

"What…?" Rose said. She slowed down and slowly walked into the lounge.

"Well, not 'here' here. But someone else is."

"Hey, Rosie," Jack said, standing up.

"Jack!" she cried, taking a step back. Then she ran full pelt into the man's arms. "Oh my god! How did you-? What…? I thought you were dead! Oh my god, I missed you!"

"Yeah, I thought you were dead too," he told her, crushing her to him before he set her back on the ground. "Then, this morning I get some very odd visitors looking for you with some hints that 'oh, you didn't _really DIE_ at Canary Warf'."

Rose giggled. "No. No, I didn't. Not the best day… but considering…"

"I know, sweetie, I saw the video footage. You're talking to the current and only Head of Torchwood. We're based in Cardiff, looking after the rift."

"Things got worse because of Blon?"

"You have no idea."

"But how did you get here?!" she said, getting back on topic. "The Doctor said it wasn't possible."

"Yeah, well, it is. I mean, apparently with the help of the Time Lords, you can pop into a different dimension and be home in time for tea. - His words. - And well… I _did_ come with the Doctor… but this Doctor… let's just say he still has help from the Time Lords."

"So… he's from the past? From before the Time War?"

"That's the one. But he doesn't know about it, so don't even mention that he's the last of his kind, or that there will be a war."

"Got it. But how does he even know about me?"

"Well, here's where things get complicated, sweetie," Jack said. He grabbed her by the shoulders and sat her down.

"The Doctor that you know, from our timeline -damn, he looks sexy now, doesn't he - anyway, he's in trouble. He and his new companion, Martha-"

"New companion!"

"Lovely woman. I get the impression she's a little jealous of you, though. Apparently he talks about you a lot. - But back to the point, from the sounds of it, he was on this rather dodgy planet, looking for this part that he could use in a device to get here safely. Then he was lured in by a psychic pull and trapped in a psychic opium den… Now, the issue there is, taking him out would be no problem. But the drugs in that place enhance every emotion. If we took him out, he would die from… well, the heartbreak, I guess."

"Wh-what," she said weakly. "I - I don't get it. So, he's stuck there on drugs… and if you save him… you kill him?"

"If Martha, the past Doctor or I do, then, yes. But there's one person who can get him out of there without hurting him, and that's you. Thought it would be a bit of a win, win situation. Get the Doctor out of that horrible place before it drains him of life, and get you back where you belong. On the TARDIS, with the Doctor."

"How come I'm the only one who can save him?" She wouldn't normally question what was happening. She would have expected that she would have jumped into the TARDIS - or however Jack got here - before the man could finish speaking. But what he had said scared her. He was in danger. He had a new companion…

Jack just sighed before he answered. "The drug focuses on pain. The place is run by psychic parasites, so they find what, or who is making the victim so up set, then give them that person back. The drug tricks them into somewhat thinking it's real. It seems that what was upsetting the Doctor the most, was that you were gone. So the only way to stop him dying if we take him out, is if you're there with us."

Rose stared at the ground a moment, letting it sink in. Then she squared her shoulders, looked her friend in the eye and grinned her cheeky smile. Jack smiled in return, seeing that familiar determined look back on her face. "Alright then," she said. "How do we get back?"

"I'm here with a past Doctor. He used this device called a Dimension Filter on the TARDIS. He and Martha are waiting for us just around the corner. We just have to pop right back. We can go back to not long after they left, so he won't have even been in that place for a few hours. And that's it. You can come back here after, if you want… but from what I hear, you won't. And Rose… our Doctor won't have this device, even then it needs some special charger that's only on Gallifrey. If you stay, you won't come back."

Rose nodded and turned to Jackie. "Mum…"

"I know, sweetheart," Jackie said, putting her son down on a baby rug and going to her daughter. She held her in a tight embrace. "Now, you know how I've felt about that Doctor. I've hated him for taking you away from me. And the fact he could never give you a safe, decent home. I've resented him for giving you something I couldn't. But I have loved that man so much. Because he always did what was right. He always made sure that you were safe… and he always made you happy. And that's all I want. I want my little girl to smile like she used to. I lost Pete for twenty years… it's easier to let you go, knowing what that was like. Besides… it's not like I'm going to be around for you forever…"

Rose, who hadn't even realised she had tears trailing down her face, let out a small sob and held on to her mother tighter.

"I love you, Mum."

"And I love you. Oh, Rose. Oh, my gorgeous Rose, I'm going to miss you!"

Jack just stood back a while, letting them have their moment. They had a time machine. He could let the world stand still for these two.

* * *

**?…DW…?**

* * *

Rose dropped her bag and ran her hand down the dark blue wood. She could tell that this wasn't _her_ TARDIS… not yet. There were very small differences that only someone who knew the TARDIS _very_ well would notice. But it was the TARDIS. And just inside was the Doctor. Not _her_ Doctor… not yet.

She smiled at the thought. She was going home! She was going to see her Doctor again! She was… going to meet his new companion…

Rose picked up her bag again, cast a glace back at Jack, who was holding her other bag, took a deep breath, and took the key from the ribbon around her neck. She slotted it into the key hole. She was a little surprised that it fit, but a wide grin spread across her face when it turned and the door 'snicked' open.

It slowly swung open, and the first thing she saw was white. Everything in this TARDIS was very white, from the small console in the centre, to the walls, and the floor and the roof. The room was smaller, but so empty that it seemed larger. The only thing making it look homey was the hat stand by the door. Despite the look being rather cold, it _felt_ like home.

She was in the TARDIS!

Waiting inside for her, were two more people. One was a pretty, dark skinned girl, not much older than herself. She was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed. She gave Rose a look up and down before forcing a smile on her face. The other person was already grinning ear to ear. He was standing in the middle of the consol room, his hands behind his back. he bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet in a way that was so familiar. And despite the fact that this man was wearing a cream coat and what looked like Edwardian cricket gear, and had blonde hair and blue eyes, she knew exactly who he was.

"Hello, my dear," the Doctor said, walking towards her slightly. "Welcome aboard the TARDIS. I'm th-"

"The Doctor," she grinned walking the rest of the way up to him. "Body number five, from what Jack says. You look different, but I can still tell it's you... Sorry, you don't really recognise me..." She looked to the floor.

"Well, unfortunately, I don't recognise you the way I'd like to... or the way I will in the future. But I've seen you before... Just an image. A video and... well, a copy, really." He paused and looked at her a moment. "You look even more beautiful than you did back then."

Rose laughed. "I've gotten a little older since then... Just a little. But quite a bit has changed about me since I got trapped here... I just hope it's for the better. Anyway," she continued quickly. "Shouldn't we be going? Jack said something about m- about my Doctor being in danger."

"Ah, right you are," the Doctor said, spinning around to the console. Rose smiled as she saw that if one thing had not changed, hit was his dance around the TARDIS. Sure, this Doctor seemed a lot more calm and collected than the two that she had known. And though his movements were swift and precise and not quite as manic, she could easily see how they would someday progress to that.

What really made her grin though, was when she heard the graunching of the engines. She was going home. She could hardly believe it. It seemed so surreal. How could she be going home when he had told her it was impossible.

It was only a few seconds later that the noise of the engines stopped and she looked around perplexed. Both Martha and Jack had to stifle laughter at her reaction.

"What's going on?" she said. "Has something gone wrong? Are we there? We can't be there?"

"No, we're here," the Doctor assured her. "Why does nobody think that?!"

"We're used to a rougher ride," Jack explained.

"Ah… that explains it I guess." He stopped and turned to Rose. "Now, I'm afraid that I have done my part here. When I got the Dimension Filter I was told only to drop you three off."

"Since when did you ever follow orders?" Rose said. The Doctor grinned at her cheeky response.

"I don't usually. Unfortunately, it's to dangerous to know this much of my future. I have to report back and have my memory erased."

"What?!"

"It's fine. I'll get them back eventually. But it was lovely to meet you Rose Tyler. And I look forward to it in the future. You too, Martha, Jack." The two companions nodded at him. "Right, now, I've parked just outside the door. It's only been a second since Martha and I left. Martha can show you where to go. And if she struggles with the door, no doubt Jack will be able to find it."

"So, this is goodbye… for now?" Rose said. The Doctor nodded. He was surprised when suddenly she threw herself into his chest and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered.

"It was a pleasure," he said. Rose let go of him and he turned to the other two. "Thank you so much for your help. Goodbye."

"Thanks, Doc," Jack said, and shook his hand. Martha just smiled and nodded. Then the three of them left the TARDIS, only stopping to watch it fade away.

Rose straightened her back determinedly and held her head high. She had a Time Lord to save.

"Right. Martha, where was this door?"

"Right here," she said pointing to one of the brick arches in the wall. "The Doctor said it was… I don't know, a Chameleon Circuit. Like what's on the TARDIS. He found a handle under one of the bricks."

"I'll get it," Jack said. He felt along the wall, much like the Doctor had, and eventually popped the door open.

The first thing that Rose noticed was a horribly strong, unpleasant scent of cinnamon. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward…

Only to be stopped by Jack.

"Rose, you don't know what this kind of place is like. It's not nice."

"I'm going in, Jack."

"I know you are, Sweetheart. I just wanted to warn you."

Rose nodded. Taking another deep breath, she walked through the door…

Right into a place she would sooner forget.


	5. Den of Horrors

_**Hello! Sadly, yet again, this was a chapter that I was planning to make a long chapter. But I really can't be bothered. So here is the next chapter… all the happy stuff comes later.**_

* * *

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**Den of Horrors  
**

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_I can't hold on to me,  
Wonder what's wrong with me._

_Lithium, don't want to lock me up inside._  
_Lithium, don't want to forget how it feels without..._  
_Lithium, ...stay in love with you._

.oO*Oo.

Rose looked about in horror as she took in the disgusting sight. Everywhere, creatures of all kinds, writhing on the floor. One of every pair looked exhausted or close to death. And in their eyes, although they appeared happy, she recognised heartbreak.

"What is this place?" she whispered, completely horrified. "I thought you said it was an _opium den_!"

Jack frowned, seeing that she had gone a horrible shade of white. He hated to think what was going through her mind. "It is," he said. "That cinnamon smell is a drug that they pump into the air. Drugs them, makes the illusion plausible."

"Illusion?"

Beside her, Martha shivered. "The Doctor said, 'of every pair here, only one is real'. The other is something called a… psychic flesh? It's of someone they've lost."

"So… the Doctor has one too?" Martha nodded. "Of… me…?" Martha nodded again, and she noticed a touch of sadness in the woman's eyes, and she suddenly realised something.

"I'm sorry."

"I-it's fine," Martha stuttered, going pink. "Come on, he's behind the curtain."

They came to the curtain and Jack held out a hand to stop them.

"I think Rose should go in alone," he said.

"What? Why?" Martha said.

"Because she's the only one who can do it. It's going to take some convincing, and he's just going to say anything that comes to mind. We should wait at the top of the stairs. That way we'll be out of the way of any Flesh-drugs that come by for us. Rose will be fine, she has her heart set on something in front of her." Martha nodded with a frustrated sigh. "And Rose, remember… this is going to be shocking."

"I know," she whispered. "I'm just hoping I don't… walk in on anything."

"That man has more restraint than anyone I know. He managed to keep his hands off you for two years. That's not an easy feat, Rose Tyler."

"Oh, shut up, Jack."

"Go. We'll be close if you need us. This place is quiet. If you call out, we'll hear."

Rose nodded, then taking a deep breath, pushed aside the curtain. The room she entered was very dark. The walls were a deep red, darker than dried blood. The round bed in the middle of the small room was jet black. And the light was dim, but even so, she could still see them.

There, on the bed, were two figures. One was a slightly younger version of her. Her hair was bleached blonder, and she had too much makeup around her eyes. - Rose cringed at her previous bad choices. - Her face also looked a little rounder, as if she were only just out of her youth. And she wasn't quite as skinny as she was now.

This Rose was dressed in nothing but a black lace bra, and lace underwear with straps criss-crossing towards her stomach. - Something she had only ever thought of wearing once or twice. - Otherwise she was completely naked, stretched across the other figure on the bed.

And there he was, the man she had longed to see for so long. The Doctor was lying on the bed, his arms wrapped tight around the Rose-duplicate. He wasn't wearing a shirt or tie… only his trousers, by the looks of it. His converse had been scattered around the room, along with other various items, including the Sonic Screwdriver.

What was worse, was that his skin was much paler than usual, and he already had dark circles under his eyes. She had to cover her mouth at the sight.

With a groan, he pulled the half naked Rose on top of him and kisses her fiercely. The real Rose's mouth fell open. It was a strange sight to see… Seeing yourself - kind of - kissing someone right in front of you.

"Don't leave me. Never again," he pleaded to the clone.

"I promise," she replied.

"Doctor," Rose croaked.

"Oh, Rose."

"Doctor, I'm here."

"I know you are," he sighed. Rose blinked. He had replied. He had replied to _her_. He had replied to both the other Rose _and_ her. He couldn't tell the difference between their voices.

"Doctor, look at me," she tried. She was only half saddened when he held the other Rose's face in his hands and gazed tenderly at her. It was strange, though, even though he was looking at her, it was almost as if he was looking though her. Like his eyes weren't focused. "No, look at me!"

The Doctor's brow creased slightly. He could have sworn that he hadn't seen her mouth move. "What?" he said in confusion.

"What?" the other Rose giggled.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

The real Rose took her chance. "I said look at me. Not her. Me!" He blinked slowly at the other Rose. "Me!" Rose cried. "Please, Doctor. I'm over here. Look at _me!_"

Finally he seemed to notice where the sound of her voice was coming from and looked over towards her. He gave the same slow blink and looked back at the fake Rose, then back at her again.

Hope rushing through her, she went over to him and grabbed his arm. In a flash, the Doctor skittered back, grabbing his sonic from the floor and aiming it at her. His face was contorted in rage. She jumped back in shock. Then her identity finally seemed to sink through to him, and he lowered the sonic in confusion. Once again he looked from the fake Rose, and back to her.

"What?" he said, bewildered. "But… two of you…"

"No, just me," she said, deciding it was safe enough to go over to him now. She knelt down beside the bed and held his hand. "See I'm real. I'm not an illusion."

"But, you don't look like Rose. Close, but you look different," he said, his voice strained and dream like.

"Of course I'm different," she said softly. "I got older. Started dying my hair with a better shade."

"But, you're over there…"

"No. No I'm not. I'm here. She's a fake. She's not me. I'm here, Doctor, and I'm real…" She noticed his eyes slipping back out of focus again. "Look at me!"

With a jolt of his head, the Doctor did so. "I don't… understand."

"It's okay," she hushed. "Don't panic. You're in a psychic opium den. But I'm going to get you out, okay."

"So… you're not really back?" he said, hurt in his voice.

"No, I wasn't back. But I am now, see. I'm back, and I'm going to stay. You, me, the TARDIS… oh, and we can't forget Martha. She seems nice."

"Martha?"

"Your friend. She's worried about you. She lost you for a bit. Found you in here. You scared the hell out of her."

"Martha… She was on the moon…"

"That's the one. Come on, we have to get back now." She looked up worryingly to the other Rose, still curled into his side, to see hat her features were becoming fuzzy. He believed her.

"Um… okay…" He stood from the bed, ignoring the now faceless flesh. Rose had to steady him as he swayed on the spot. He blinked again, then began to stride to the curtain.

"Wait!" she called. "Doctor, your clothes. You're only wearing your trousers."

The Doctor looked down at what he was wearing. "…Ah. Yes…"

"Here." Rose went around the room, picking up articles of his clothing. Then she went back over to him and sat him on the bed, starting him out by hading him his Chucks. When the Doctor just looked at them, she moved his feet into each, until he got the gist and started doing them himself.

Rose moved onto the next garment. She grabbed his button up shirt and pulled it onto his arms as he finished with the shoes. Not wanting to waist any time, she started doing up the buttons herself.

"This is weird," the Doctor mumbled.

"What? Me putting your clothes on?" she asked.

"Yes. Yes, it is very weird. It's all back to front."

"Back to front?"

"Well, usually, in my head, you're doing the opposite."

For a moment, Rose's fingers stilled and her cheeks went bright red. "Oh," she said somewhat shakily. "Is - is that so?"

"Yup."

"Think of me undressing you often, Doctor?"

"Of course I-" Suddenly, he realised what his traitorous mouth was saying. "Ah… was… joking. Yes, joking. I mean, my heads all…" He waved one of his hands around like a helicopter, indicating that it was a mess.

"Right," she stretched the word out with a small smile. "Of course it was. And what about the half naked other me?"

"Hey! She kissed _me_ first!"

Rose shook her head in exasperation. "Okay," she said. "We have everything, we can go." She pocketed the sonic-screwdriver and grabbed the Doctor's hand.

As she drew back the curtain, she peered around for anyone trying to stop them, but all she could see where the fornicating couples around them. She made her way quickly and quietly to the door, half dragging the Doctor with her.

Right when they were about to reach the stairs, they were blocked by three things she had not expected to see. A Cyberman, a Dalek, and a Slitheen. She took a step back in fear. She knew that it was hard enough to take on just one of these. And now she was hindered by the almost dead weight of the brain-scrambled Doctor.

"HALT!" the Dalek commanded. It shot a beam very close to her, but it missed and hit the wall… Hang on, it had hit the wall, but there was no scorch mark… Which meant…

With her free hand, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the sonic. As she set it and pointed it at the three creatures, they began to melt, their shape slipping away till they were just three featureless blobs of flesh.

Not pausing a moment, she pushed past the creatures into the stairwell. She put the Doctor's arm around her shoulder and began the climb.

"Hmm, Psychic Flesh," the Doctor muttered. "It took your fears straight from your head."

"What?" she grunted, hoisting him up.

The Doctor's voice was weak and slurred and he replied. He was struggling to speak at all, but that never stopped him. "Psychic Flesh literally pick everything out of your head. If - you haven't seen or heard it, they can't do it."

Rose paused on the step. "Hang on, then. How do you know what I look like in just my underwear?"

"Oh, I've seen you naked before."

"What?!"

"You don't - remember, but you got hurt. Burnt. Third degree, head to toe burns on Varillian. I had to - rush you back to the TARDIS and heal you in the med bay. I was sacred - I would lose you. I redressed you, and put you in your bed."

"You can't be serious!"

"Yup. You didn't remember. So, I didn't tell you. No point in worrying about.. about something…about something that didn't matter anymore. Scared me to death, though."

"I could imagine." She kept moving.

"You ssscare me - to death, Rose Tyler. Everything you do. Everything you make me feel. Can you please stop leaving?"

"Can you please stop sending me away?" she countered.

"Nope," he shook his head vigorously, almost toppling them down the stairs. "Never gonna do that again. I don't want to lose my Rose Tyler. I love my Rose Tyler. But, shh. Don't tell her that. She's human. And humans die or go missing."

Rose opened her mouth to reply, but then she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and looked down the stairs. This time they were being perused by a Gelth zombie, a gasmask zombie, and a red eye Ood.

"Right," she said, hoisting the Doctor higher on her shoulder. "Well, Rose doesn't want to lose her Doctor, so you're really going to have to try. Come on! Walk!"

The Doctor struggled to move his feet more, and they made their way up the lasts few stairs as fast as they could. The Flesh creatures were right on their tail as Rose finally threw open the door. The Gelth zombie grabbed at her, raking a long deep red mark across her arm. She spun and kicked it back, knocking it into the others. Then she dived through the door.

"Close it!" she shouted to Jack as she burst through. The man who'd been waiting by the door, slammed it shut as soon as she and the Doctor were through. There was a smash on the door as the creatures from her mind tried to bust through. Holding the Doctor with one arm, she zapped the door with the sonic-screwdriver.

"That won't hold them long. Come on let's go. Where's the TARDIS?"

"This way," Martha said. She began to lead the way, and Jack grabbed the Doctor by the other arm to help Rose carry him. He was completely out to it now.

They made their way as fast as they could, glancing back way too often. Soon, they were at the familiar blue box and Martha let them in. The second the door was closed, they all sighed in relief. A small smile even flickered over Rose's face when she saw that the interior of the TARDIS was still as she remembered.

Now, Rose took charge, leading the way down the corridors.

"Where are we going? Martha asked.

"His room," Rose told her. By the look on Martha's face, the woman was still under the impression he lived in the console room. They turned the last corridor and Rose nodded to the door. "Here, open the door, would you?"

Soon, the unconscious Doctor was laid out on his TARDIS blue bed sheets.

"I'm a doctor, I'll check him over," Martha said. Rose just nodded, too distracted by the sight before her.

This room looked very much like her own. Well, not in design, but they had one major thing in common. Pictures. There were pictures everywhere. Pictures of the two of them, him in both incarnations. There were some with Jack in them, her mum, and even people they had met along their travels. There were many of just her. Pictures she didn't even know had been taken. They all made her look really pretty, much pretty then she ever thought she was.

Breathing was becoming difficult for her. "Excuse me," she said, and moved back out of the room, into the corridor. Slightly worried, Jack followed her.

"Rose, you're shaking," he said in concern.

Suddenly, Rose's face contorted into a look of pain, her lower lip trembling. Then, a sob burst from her lips. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle it. She shook her head back and fourth as Jack tried to reach her to comfort her. She stumbled, and her back hit the wall. Slowly she slid to the ground, more sobs erupting from her.

"Rose!" Jack cried in alarm, dropping to his knees with her. He dived forward, and despite her being mostly unresponsive, he held Rose in his arms as she continued to cry.

Rose had looked so strong as she had come out, supporting the Doctor. She seemed so sure, and confident… It wasn't till now that Jack realized she had been holding it all in.

That place had scared Rose more than she knew. She had to be strong for the Doctor. She couldn't have let him see just how much seeing him like that had affected her. And it was still affecting her, even now. Because, even though he was back, and he was safe, none of this quite seemed real to her.

And she was terrified that she would wake up and find herself in her bed back in the other universe, in a room she had tried to make look like her room in the TARDIS, so she didn't feel so homesick.

She hoped so bad that this was real.

Ten minutes later, Martha emerged from the Doctor's room to see Jack leaning against the other wall. An exhausted Rose had fallen asleep in his arms, tear stains still on her cheeks.

"How is he?" Jack whispered.

"He's okay. He wasn't badly hurt… just a little drained. He'll gain his energy pretty quickly. Honestly, that man could put a chipmunk and a squirrel to shame."

"Please tell me he's not worse than a chipuirrel," Jack groaned quietly.

"A what?"

"Imagine a chipmunk and a squirrel combined, but with twice the energy of both, and on a mix of caffeen and hyper vodka."

"Oh… oh dear… Actually, yeah, he sounds pretty similar. Wait, there's such a thing as a chipuirrel?"

"Oh yeah, It was a mix of genetic engineering and letting nature take its course. They're everywhere in the 51st century. Horribly adaptable little minxes."

There was silence for a long moment, and Jack looked back down at the woman in his arms. "How is _she_?" Martha said.

"Exhausted," Jack replied. "And scared… terrified actually. Today was hard on her, it all caught up to her in one moment. From what she was muttering, I think she's scared this is all a dream. She's been through so much, false hope would crush her."

"She looked so strong before," Martha said sadly. "Now she looks… tiny. She looks like a child."

Jack laughed softly. "She is at heart. I just hope she hasn't lost that innocence. She was the one piece I thought the universe had left untouched. Aww, you should have seen those two together. A man that could make anyone fall for him, and he ends up with only eyes for this one."

"I used to be so jealous of her," Martha admitted. "But seeing her… seeing what she was like with him… I just can't."

"Rose Tyler, impossible to hate… unless you're Queen Victoria."

They both laughed at that, but when the movement began to stir Rose, Jack quietened down. He put his arms around her better, then scooped her up as he stood. She really did look like a small child in his arms. He walked her into the Doctor's room, and lay her on the bed beside him. He helped her out of her jacket, and took off her shoes.

The now semiconscious Rose was awake enough to register that her surroundings had changed, and she snuggled in to get comfortable. The moving must have woken the Doctor slightly, because he shifted in his sleep, rolling over and wrapping an arm around the figure snuggle into him.

"Well, that was adorable," Jack grinned.

"Those two are terrible," Martha rolled her eyes, even though she was trying to swallow down the lump in hr throat. She may have realised that he was always meant to be for Rose, but that didn't mean she was going to be over him in an instant.

"Come on," Jack whispered. And the two left the room.


	6. Where we Belong

**Where we Belong**

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_I'm gonna let it go._

.oO*Oo.

When the Doctor woke, he was in his bedroom. He lay staring at the ceiling, trying to piece together the foggy memories of yesterday. He could remember Rose being there… No, that couldn't be right. He sighed and rubbed at is face, trying not to feel the despair that was eating at him.

It had been a dream. It was always a dream. Every time. Quite often he would dream that she was somehow back, and when he would wake, he could feel the crushing pain of knowing it had not been true.

Once he had dreamed that his ninth self - from mid-Time War - had found her in the parallel world and dropped her back to him. A few times that she'd never fell, and was still travelling with him and Martha, oddly enough as a Time Lady. Or that a strange girl from a broken future timeline came and gave him a 'Stitch' to go back and change things. That he had really been dreaming this whole time, a victim of a Glacadóir Aisling, and Rose saved him. That they find each other in a strange dimension where people could bend the elements. Once he even had a strange dream that Rose had become a walking TARDIS and spent a few years searching for him, popping in and out of his life to the point he believed she was a hallucination.

And every time, for a moment, he would believe it had been real, only to see the sad reality.

"Doctor?" he heard a small voice murmur. His hearts stopped a moment. Hesitantly, he turned his head to the side to see the blonde woman in the bed beside him. She was blinking at him sleepily.

"Rose?" he croaked.

"This is a dream, right?" she whispered.

"I was actually about to ask the same thing," he said. "But it can't be both our dreams… can it?"

"Nothing would surprise me anymore," she yawned. "Especially after what I've been through."

"You'd have to be telepathic to share a dream."

"Well... I am. So maybe it is a shared dream."

"How are you telepathic?" he said in confusion. This definitely seemed to be heading in the direction of his dreams.

"I don't know. I blame you and your lovely TARDIS. Lots of weird things happened to me over the last year. I'm telepathic, I stopped aging, minor injuries heal in hours or days. Tests show that I'm only half human now. But hey, you know something else?"

"Erm… what?" he said, fear creeping into the edge of his voice. Sleepily, Rose turned onto her side, facing him.

"I'm pretty sure you have to be in the same dimension to share a dream."

"That… that is a very good point." Stretching, he tried to feel every part of his body and mind, making sure he was really awake. Once he was certain, he turned back to Rose, who, thankfully, was still there, and hesitantly reached out a hand. He placed it on her cheek and closed his eyes as he felt it move across soft skin. "So… it's not a dream?"

"I don't think so…" she said with a yawn. "Then again, I'm not convinced I'm a wake yet."

"Well, in either case, I'm going to do this." He rolled over so he was propped up on his elbow, leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Mm-hm," she nodded. "Definitely asleep."

"Really?" he said in amusement, now fully awake. Happiness was slowly bubbling up inside him, threatening to overflow. He just grinned, holding it in, loving the way Rose was too out of it to bother.

"Yeah. But I like it… I'm just going to stay asleep forever. Okay?"

"Okay," he chuckled.

As her eyes slid shut again, the Doctor pressed a light kiss to her forehead, then groaning, he went to have a shower. He felt filthy… and to top it off, something in the area was causing a horrible sensation with in him, it really made him want to run away as fast as he could. He would deal with that later, first, a shower.

* * *

**?...DW…?**

* * *

When Rose finally awoke properly, she was hit instantly by the lack of a second person in the bed. She didn't even have to open her eyes to tell. She could tell without reaching over, or turning around. She could tell by the pressure of the bed. No one else was with her.

Pain lancing through her chest, she squeezed her eyes tight and curled in on herself. She couldn't go through this every time. She just couldn't. Everyone told her that it would get better, that the pain would fade. She knew it was supposed to. She'd been in 'love' before, and the pain had gone away. This time it wasn't.

It had been an entire year. And it till felt like part of her soul had been ripped out. Almost everything reminded her of him. She was doing her best to push through. She _would_ find a way back to him. She refused to live like this. She knew that she would outlive everyone she loved. And it was times like that that she wished she was with him, that she could hold his hand, run her hand through his hair, smell him on the library couch…

She was beginning to forget that smell. Oh, she could tell you what he smelt like, but the smell itself was fading from her memory. It was a smell of books, tea, TARDIS grease, hair product, a deep musk that was so _him_ and a sweet, tangy scent she had figured out must be the smell of 'time'. Thankfully, recalling the smell, seemed to be bringing it back to her. It comforted her, and she burrowed her head further into the pillow, almost hoping that that was where the scent lingered…

It was! Opening her eyes, she pressed the pillow closer to her face and sniffed deeper. It was coming from the pillow! Taking it away from her face, she noticed that this was not her pillow. And looking around, this was not her room.

A gasp escaped her lips when she saw where she was. She was in the Doctor's room. She realized with a sudden jolt, that she was most certainly awake. And there was no way that anyone could replicate this room in any way. Only she knew what it was like, and even then, it was different. Like the board just off to the side that had complex equations and the workings of how to build a… dimension filter…

Hadn't someone mentioned something about a dimension filter yesterday?

Then, it hit her. It all came back. Jack in her lounge. Saying goodbye to her mother. The old (or young) TARDIS and the Doctor in an earlier conversation. That den of horrors, the psychic opium den. Her mostly naked duplicate, snogging the Doctor. Their conversation up the stairs as she fought off her nightmares. The woman, Martha taking care of the Doctor. Jack comforting her…

She shot up straight, leaping out of bed.

"Doctor?!" she cried. Her head snapped around, looking for him about the empty room. She heard a clang in the bathroom and rushed to it without thinking. "Doctor!"

When she entered, the room was still cloudy with steam. He stood there, dressed like she'd found him the first time, in nothing but his trousers. He was drying his hair with a white towel, making the wet strands stick up in all odd places. When he saw her, a huge grin lit up his face.

"About time you woke up," he said. "Finally figured out it's not a dream?"

"Like hell I have," she said.

And in the next second, she was charging at him. The towel was dropped to the ground as she hurled herself into his arms. The Doctor stumbled back with the pressure, bumping into the sinks behind him. Her arms went up around his neck, her head buried in his shoulder, brushing the wet drops. The Doctor's arms were firmly around her waist and up her back, holding her up against him, his face nuzzling into her hair.

For a moment, all they could do was breathe each other in, a small smile touching their lips.

"Are… are you okay?" Rose said, her voice muffled by his skin.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he told her softly. "I'm more than fine. I'm _brilliant_!" At the familiar tone, Rose looked up to see a joyful grin on his face as he looked back down on her. She smiled at him in return.

"I can't believe I'm back. It seems so impossible…"

The Doctor paused, then looked at her in confusion. "How _did_ you get back?"

"I'm guessing you don't remember that bit," she giggled. She slowly let go of him and he led them back into the room.

"Don't really remember much of anything," he admitted. "One moment I was talking to Martha, next… I don't know. Everything's just a big blur, then I'm waking up beside you. It was cute, you were convinced you were asleep."

"Oh dear," she groaned, flopping down on the bed in embarrassment. "I really don't want to know what I said." The Doctor just laughed. "Anyway, After you went missing, somehow a younger version of you… fifth incarnation, I think, he came looking for you. I didn't really get the whole story, but him Martha and Jack showed up in the parallel universe and brought me back to save you from that Opium Den."

"Opium Den," the Doctor said. "That explains a lot."

"You were so adorable."

"Don't even start," he warned. He lay down beside her, their heads close. "I can remember that. Well, bits of it anyway…" She rose an eyebrow when she saw a slight blush rise in his cheeks. "Rose?"

"Mmm?"

"What did you mean?"

"When?" she said in confusion.

"This morning. You said that you were telepathic… and… other stuff."

"I - I said that?" she stuttered. The Doctor just looked at her, up through his eyelashes. Rose sighed. "Well, I guess that I meant just that. I don't know. During one of the medicals, we found something weird with my DNA. Slowly strange things started to happen. I healed. I stopped getting older. I negotiated with a race of telepathic beings who thought that our planet was a threat. So, we did more tests. They proved that my brain is 80% more active. My cellular ageing has come to more or less a complete stop. And only half of my DNA still resembles a human. We don't know what happened, but something changed me. It scared us… we had no idea what it was. And, well, we knew that someday I was going to end up by myself… I needed you then, more than ever. I threw myself completely into my project to get back. I could barely last a year without you… how was I going to last hundreds…"

The Doctor looked up at her sadly. "I would have found a way," he whispered. "Eventually. I was working on something that could get me there. An old Gallifreyan machine. You always find your way back to me. There was no way I was going to let this one end it all."

"Even if you had to lose me again?"

"I didn't care. I would have given anything for just a little longer than what we had."

Rose was quiet for a moment, then began to blink. "You kissed me," she suddenly said, causing the Doctor to chuckle.

"Yes, I did." The looked at each other and smiled. As they did, the Doctor's eyes flashed to her temples, and he grew hesitant. "M-may I?"

Rose nodded. She had never had anyone truly in her mind before. The Merachne had only spoken to her, but even that brief contact had left her feeling lonely since then. She could only imagine how painful it was for the Doctor… If she could soothe that, only a little bit…

The Doctor sat up slightly, and slowly, ever so gently, placed his finger tips on her temples. She felt a push at the back of her mind. Every instinct screamed at her to push it out, but she ignored it as another part of her was telling her that this was right. So instead of resisting, she opened up her mind as much as she could fight the natural reaction to having another enter.

She felt as the Doctor slipped into her mind, a warmth flooding through her. She was overcome by what she felt. Just the mere presence of his mind was enough, but she could feel all of him. The pain of his past, the joy of his friendships, his love, the suffering of this past year. She could feel it all. She knew him, everything he was and could be… she accepted him for it all. In her mind, she reached out to him, and placed her hands over his 'hearts'.

The Doctor gasped and his eyes snapped open as he felt what Rose did. Did she know what she'd just done? That she had initiated a bond between them? He didn't mind at all, and he doubted she would either, but it was still unexpected.

Placing a kiss on her head, he gently withdrew. Now was not the time to finish the bond. They still had other things to worry about. Like the fact that Martha and Jack were most likely waiting for them to wake up somewhere in the TARDIS…. Jack! He must be what that disturbing feeling was… Well, there was no way to stop that without kicking him off the TARDIS into the Time Vortex… Hmm… That actually, that sounded like quite a good idea.

"Oh… Oh!" he suddenly cried as certain memories came back to him.

"What is it?" Rose asked in concern.

"I just got my memories back. From helping you save this me! Rose, the thing that I used to get into Pete's word was that." He pointed to his board. "A dimension filter. The thing that I was trying to build."

"And…?" she said, not understanding why he was so excited.

"Well, I was supposed to return it, but I didn't. I just went back to my companions, and locked away my memories! It's still here, on the ship! I mean, sure, the only way to get it working was by charging it on Gallifrey, but when I was trying to work that out, I figured out that if you drag it fully exposed through the Time Vortex for roughly a month, it should generate enough power to give us a few jumps back and fourth through the dimensions. Rose, you can see your mother!"

"So, I could go back? Just… wait a month and see her?" He nodded, a huge grin on his face. Who would have thought that _he_ would miss Jackie Tyler. "Oh my gosh!" she squealed, jumping up and giving him a hug. "I can see Tony grow up! And Christmas, birthdays, all of it!"

"Come on," he said, still smiling. "You said Jack and Martha. I'm sure they're waiting for us." He began to get fully dressed.

"Yeah, probably. I don't know, the last thing I remember was… _hugging_ Jack."

"Hugging?" he said sceptically, raising his left eyebrow in the way she loved so much.

"Balling my eyes out in his arms due to sheer exhaustion and confusion."

"Ah…" he looked at the ground guiltily.

"Well, come on," she replied cheerfully. "I want to meet this Martha properly. Didn't get much of a chance to talk to her."

"Really? What did you think of her?"

"She's nice," Rose said. "I like her… You do know she has a crush on you, right?"

The Doctor grimaced. "Yeah…" he admitted. "I was hoping that if I ignored it, she might get over it. I was nowhere near ready to even consider…"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Come on, you dork!"

"Me?! A Dork!"

"Yup!"

"Oh," he stopped her in the door way. "One more thing. About Jack… you might find out something that might shock you, but it's okay, and it wasn't you're fault."

"Why would it be my fault?" she said curiously.

"I get the feeling I'm going to have to explain that one to him, too," he groaned. "Ah, well. All in good time. Lets get you settled back home."

Then, he surprised her with a quick, soft kiss, and led her out to their friends, and their new life.

.

.

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* * *

_**And that's the end! I'll just leave the rest for all of you to assume what happened, because if I carry on, it will lose plot, exciting-ness and I will not be able to find anywhere to end it.**_

_**So, I hope you liked it!**_


End file.
